Thomas More and Utopia
English Statesman, Author and Lawyer, Lord Chancellor
Thomas More's determination and adherence to Catholic orthodoxy prevented him from recognizing either King Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon or his subsequent self-appointment as head of the English Church in order to marry Anne Boleyn.
Thomas More's Life in a Nutshell
Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), was an English statesman, author and lawyer, famous for his book Utopia, 1518. He was a Renaissance humanist scholar who occupied respected public offices, including as Lord Chancellor. He led an incorruptible but dangerous political life.
In 1535, Thomas More was ordered beheaded by King Henry VIII who earlier knighted him, when he refused to sign the Act of Supremacy that declared Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England.
He managed to complete his most important philosophical work, Utopia, before he was beheaded. Thomas More was a supporter and friend of the older Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus.
Thomas More's Utopia
The word "utopia" was coined by More and named to an ideal and imaginary island nation. In Utopia, a traveler brings back tales of an island in the South Seas where everything is organized in the best possible way. The book takes the form of a dialogue, in which the traveler, Raphael Hythloday, divulges the wise ways of Utopia as he found them in the five years he spent there.
According to Philip Stokes, (Philosophy: The Great Thinkers,) More's vision of "Utopia is a kind of Christian communism, in which there is no personal property, internal commerce or personal ambition."
In this visionary society, the citizens are provided by means of a system of farms, each consisting of at least 40 workers. Each member works the same number of hours regardless of their job. There are intellectuals and governors, but they are chosen by merit and remain in their jobs so long as they prove satisfactory. There is an elected Prince who acts as head of state but can be removed in cases of tyranny.
Utopia Unideal in the Real World
While More's Utopia possesses some admirable liberal qualities, it is not ideal in the real world. He expects all citizens to wear the same plain dress, which is really dull. Each of the more than 50 towns is built according to an identical plan. The residents exchange homes to discourage the idea of private ownership, which is unnecessary since houses are alike in the first place.
It is doubtful that More's utopian vision could provide the basis for a realistic model of any society.
Philosopher Bertrand Russell sums up the problem with More's vision best when he says that life in More's utopia will be intolerably dull since there is a need for diversity. In More's utopia, there's hardly any diversity — a major flaw in terms of the utopian model's practicality.
Sources:
- McGovern, Una, Editor. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Stokes, Philip. Philosophy, the Great Thinkers. Capella, 2007.
Sir Thomas More, English Lord Chancellor, Author
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